Think like a boss: Mental well-being in the workplace

Are you a manager, a boss, a CEO, an employer? Do you lead a team, have an employee, or have an entire workforce? If you answered 'Yes' to either of these questions, then the chances are that you have come across a colleague who is struggling with their mental health, whether you were aware of it or not. Or maybe that person is you.

Understanding mental well-being in the workplace

Mental health and mental well-being are now hot on the agenda of all business owners, Trusts, employers, and business leaders alike. 'Why?' you might ask. Well, because now, although not legal and set in law, it is an expected obligation for all employers to look after the welfare, including the mental health, of all their employees and staff.

An MP has proposed a new law that would legally require businesses to have mental health first aiders. The new law was presented by Conservative MP Dean Russell as a Ten-Minute Rule Bill. Mr Russell believes the Bill would help employers identify the early signs of mental health concerns at work.

• Supporting staff with their mental health and well-being is important and part of an employer’s duty of care.
• Mental health is our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel and act.
• Employers have a ‘duty of care’. This means you must do all you reasonably can to support the mental health, safety and wellbeing of your employees.
• Employers in the UK must be compliant with the Equality Act 2010 and Health and Safety Act 1974 and also have a legal duty of care for their employees.

The law has always been notoriously slow to catch up with cultural change. In the UK, gay marriage was only legalised in 2014. Smoking in workplaces was only banned in 2007. Marital rape has only been illegal since 1992.

And so it has also been slow to catch up with the needs and requirements of employees in the workplace regarding their mental health and well-being.

If you have a mental health issue that amounts to a “disability” under the Equality Act 2010, your employer will be obliged to make reasonable adjustments to your working environment to reduce the impact of your condition. Failure to do so is potentially a matter of discrimination.

Mental health problems have a greater impact on people’s ability to work than any other group of disorders. This report was produced by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to supplement working for a healthier tomorrow.

Mental health is about how we think, feel and behave. Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems. They are often a reaction to a difficult life event, such as bereavement, but can also be caused by work-related issues.

Work can also aggravate pre-existing conditions, and problems at work can bring on symptoms or make their effects worse.

How can hypnotherapy help? 

Hypnotherapy is a type of psychological therapy that uses hypnosis to help treat certain mental and physical health conditions.

According to the Royal Society of Psychiatrists (RSPsych), research has shown that the following psychological conditions can be helped by hypnotherapy:

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• depression
• anxiety
• insomnia
• eating disorders
• functional disorders (bodily symptoms and conditions such as headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or backaches which may have a significant psychological component)
• improving memory for people who have experienced a brain injury

It has also been shown to help in the following medical conditions, often by reducing anxiety, but also by reducing other symptoms:

• pain
• medical and surgical procedures
• cancer treatment side effects
• anaesthetic procedures
• burn wound care
• dental procedures
• childbirth
• menopausal symptoms

Hypnotherapy is not usually available on the NHS. To find out if you can see a hypnotherapist on the NHS in your area, ask:

• a GP
• your local integrated care board (ICB)

Hypnosis is usually considered an aid to psychotherapy (psychiatric counselling or therapy) because the hypnotic state allows people to explore painful thoughts, feelings, and memories they might have hidden from their conscious minds. In addition, hypnosis enables people to perceive some things differently, such as blocking an awareness of pain.

If you are looking for bespoke mental health support for your workplace, I can work with you to create it. Training, talks, resources and sessions for your workforce or staff – whatever you need to fit your organisation. Please get in touch today.